Aspen Fitness in San Bernardino offers veteran discounts

Gym owner Matthew Grill, right, stands with trainers Roger Muntain, center, and Jeffery Kilgore at Aspen Fitness in San Bernardino on Thursday. Grill and his employees want to give back to the community and offer discounted memberships to veterans, fire and police department, and school personnel. (Rachel Luna/Staff Photographer)

Giving back to the community can mean any type of gift - even physical fitness.

With this in mind, longtime fitness guru and health club owner Matthew Grill decided he would do what he could to thank military and community heroes for their service.

Grill, owner of Aspen Fitness, which opened two years ago on Highland Avenue in San Bernardino, is offering memberships to veterans and their families for $99 per year.

"I wanted to show appreciation to veterans for their sacrifice, their service, so I thought this would be a good way to do it," Grill said.

"I suggested it to the VA and everyone seemed so appreciative. In my career, I've run 10 health clubs but have never seen people like those here in San Bernardino. They are so humble and appreciative and so grateful for a business that gives them good service," said Grill, 40, who is looking for a home in San Bernardino with his wife and three children.

But he didn't stop with veterans' discounts.

He is offering the same deal to others who serve. San Bernardino police and firefighters, as well as school district employees.

Grill said he saw struggling businesses and decided to do two things: He wants to establish a merchants association that meets every two months to effect change by inspiring others and offering them an opportunity to cross-promote their businesses at no cost to the fitness club's membership base, which is 6,000 members.

Grill also wants to continue organizing a food drive each November. His last effort, in 2012, resulted in 17,000 food items being donated.

"I want to do more," he said. "I want to thank everyone in the community who serves. When I suggested my vision to people, everyone got a feeling it was a new and positive change for the community. "

Aspen Fitness has a staff of eight in addition to Grill, gym manager Jeff Kilgore and Roger Muntain, a San Bernardino native and veteran of two tours of duty in Afghanistan.

"Aspen Fitness wants to help bring back pride in the city," Muntain said. "We want to be able to shake the hands of heroes.

"We're a gym but we're a seed to give others hope and help other businesses succeed," said Muntain, 22, who left the corporate fitness industry to come back to his hometown.

"We're giving people a discount, but we're also giving them appreciation - don't give up hope on San Bernardino, Muntain said.

One of the negatives for the fitness industry is not spending enough time educating the public about how to get in shape. At Aspen, there are 10 trainers available at all times. When people know how to exercise, the chances of them staying in shape are much greater," according to Grill.

"There is excitement coming from offering discounts to people serving the community," Grill said.

Aspen Fitness has state-of-the-art equipment at its renovated facility, 1980 E. Highland Ave., San Bernardino. For more information, call 909-886-5100.